Ventilating apparatus



April 3, 1928. 1,665,039

r W. J. MONTGOMERY VENTILATING APPARATUS .Filed loct. 2s. 1922 /Nl/ENTOR W BY I? Y i ATTO/elm Patented Apr. 3, 1928.

Laatse UNITED STATES rarnur omen.

WILLIAM J. MONTGOMERY, or COLUMBUS, oHIo, assianoa ro 'rien JEFFREY MANU FACTURING COMPANY, or COLUMBUS, onro, n coaroaa'rrou or omo.

Application filed October 28, 1922. Serial No. 597,669.

'lho present invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in Ventilating apparatus adapted to induce a current of air through the chambers and` passages of a mine. Y

The ventilation of mines is usually effect ed by currents of air flowingv into the mine at one opening, circulating through the passages of the mine, and escaping at another opening. These currents of air Aare com-` monly produced by power actuated devices )laced outside the mine and connected with its chambers by a suitable air course. To guard against the interruption of ventilating service due to break down of the air propelling' devices, such apparatus is installed in duplicate, one unit being held .in Vreserve while the other is in activo service, and elves are arranged to direct the flow of air to the preferred air propelling device.

The especial object of this invention is to' provide an improved arrangement of valves whereby the iiow of air will be automatically switched from the idle to the active air propeller when power is appliedV to one and cut o'lf from theother.

The means by which Iattain this object are fully set forth in the following specification, and illustratedE in the accompanying drawings vof whichf v Fig. l, is a plan view of a two unit air propeller installation arranged to draw the air from the air shaft of a mine, equipped with the devices of my invention.

Fig. 2, is a. sectional view taken along the line II-II of Fig. l.

F 3, is a View similar to l showing the air propellers arranged to force the air into the air shaft of the mine.

Like numerals refer to similar parts in the several figures.

In the drawings the numeral l refers to an air shaft which.communicates with tho passages of a mine, and the numeral 2 refers to housing enclosing the mouth. of that air shaft.. Positioned within the housing 52, at opposite sides of the mouth of the shaft l, are two air propelling devices which may be ofany preferred construction adapted to induce a flow of air through the shaft l. For purposes o-f illustration I have shown, in Figs. l and 2 of the drawings, two exhaust fans 3 and 4, each of which comprises a spiral casing 5 having a chimney 6 projecting through the roof of the housing 2.

Mounted within the casings 5 are fan wheels 7 each supported upon a suitable shaft 8 Journaled in the bearings 9 in the manner lwell understood inthe art. In the sides of each of the casings o: are circular apertures lO through which air may be drawn by the. fan wheel 7 from the housing 2 tov be discharged through thek chimney 6. Tofinsure against interruption of the'ventilating service of the mine, the fan 3 is arranged to be actuated by an electric motor ll connected with any convenient source of electric power supply, while the fan 4 is directly connected with a steam engine l2 supplied with steam from any convenient source. l

It will he observed that the housing 2 for the oppositely disposed air current Ainducing means communicates with the shaft l, forming, as here shown, horizontally disposed conduits',` each leading fromv the vertical shaft l to its particular air propeller. The specilic arrangement of the housing and conduits and Vair shaft may, of course, be varied to meet conditions, and, obviously, more than two propeller units could be used if desired, thevessential thing being that the connection between propeller units and the shaft to be ventilated be such that the `valve mechanisms or cut off means kof all inactive propeller units will be. closed by the action' of the active unit.

If one of these fans, asl for example the fan 3, should be active, and the other fan 4 idle, air would tend to flow from the outside atmosphere through the chimney and casing of the fan 4 into the housing 2, inaterially weakening, if not entirely interrupting, the flow of air from the shaft l.

To prevent such short ircuitino; of the air` system of the mine, valves 18 and 14 are arranged between the mouth of the shaft and the fans 3 and 4 respectively. These valves are hinged to swing outwardly from the mouth of the shaft, and are so disposed that a draught induced by tho fan 3 will open the valve 13 and close the valve 14, while a draught induced by the fan 4 will open the valve 14 and closethe valve 13. By this arrangement when one fan is started and the other fan stopped, the flow of air from the air shaft l is automatically switched from the idle to the active fan.

In Fig. 3, I have illustrated a modified arrangement wherein the fans are adapted to draw air from the external atmosphere and e sides of said vertical passage, and means` responsive to an air cui-rent inducedby any blow it into the sha-ift 1.. In suoli case a single valve l5@ is provided; hinged at sub-k stantially the central plane of the shaft l in such manner that the draught induced by the fan 3"" will swing the valve l5' towards the fan 4t to prevent the escapey of air through its casing, and the draught induced by the fan 4; will swing the valve 15 in the opposite direction towards the tan lto sliut off the escape of aii through its casing.

l. In a stationary ventilatiiig system, the combination of Va plurality of alternately inde 'endentlv operable means individuali 1 J L i capable of inducing an air current in a ver ticalair passage and arranged on opposite one of seid current inducing means toA pre'- velnt lifow oi? air through another oi? the air 3. `In an apparatus of the class described,v

a housing communicating between its ends with a `ventilator shaft, a pivoted flap in said housing at either side of said shaft and adapted to assume a transverse position relative to said housing to close communica-` tion. between respective ends oi the housing and the sliait, and to swingbaclagainst,V

the housing wall to allow such communication, said flaps being swingable away from said shaft; saidhousing having a divergent wall at either side of said" shatt, the points of divergence of said walls being overlapped by the free ends of said flaps when the latter are swung-back position, and alternatively operable draft creating means at either end of said housing. y

a. In a: stationary Ventilating system, the combination of a housing coiiimunicating between its ends;A with an air passage, alternately independently operable air current inducing means in said housing on opposite sides of said air passage Aand individually capable of inducing an air current in the air passage,` and means responsive to an air current induced by either of said air current inducing means to prevent lflow of air through the opposite air inducing means.

CII

. In a stationary ventilating system, the

combination of a substantially lhorizontal housing communicating' between its ends with a vertical an passage, alternately inldepend'ently operable mean-s on either' side of said vertical air passa-ge .individually capable Vofinducing an air current in the ail? passage* and said housing, and valve meenanisniv interposed betweenl said air curi-ent inducing means and responsive to the action of either one of said means to close coinmunication between the inactive aii` current inducing means `and the vertical air pas-- sage.

nature.

WILLIAMJ. MONTGOMERY. i

In testimony whereof, I aiiX` my sig- 

